of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 

 for example, and the acts related to its mission, 

 have stimulated a variety of new programs involv- 

 ing basic research. Similarly, agencies such as 

 NSF and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

 have increased their research on ecological and 

 epidemiological questions, undoubtedly stimulated 

 by the national concern about environmental con- 

 ditions. 



Specific Legislation 



In addition to general legislation, several agency 

 respondents report that other acts have had an 

 impact on specific types of research. These acts 

 affect the use of experimental animals and human 

 subjects, the protection of privacy, research on 

 the human fetus, and the use of dangerous drugs 

 (as regulated under the Controlled Substances Act 

 of 1970), and generate concerns about the free 

 conduct of research. They are discussed in detail, 

 along with other barriers to research, in Chapter 

 7. 



Some agencies mention legislation and other 

 congressional actions that limit their operations or 

 prohibit them from conducting certain work. The 

 House Appropriations Committee Report (No. 94- 

 517) on 1976 Department of Defense (DOD) ap- 

 propriations limits military medical investigations 

 to "military unique medical problems.'" The ac- 

 tion specifically limits drug abuse and venereal 

 disease research, previously conducted in DOD, 

 to HEW. Likewise, the Controlled Substances 

 Act requires the Secretary of HEW to review and 

 approve all drug-oriented research. DOD claims 

 that these limitations hamper some military medi- 

 cal projects. 



The Mansfield amendment to the DOD Appro- 

 priation Act of 1970 (P.L. 92-121, November 1, 

 1969) required a "direct and apparent relationship" 

 between DOD-funded research and DOD's mis- 

 sion. This legislation created barriers to research 

 both in and beyond DOD. The Mansfield amendment 

 as a barrier to the conduct of basic research is dis- 

 cussed more fully in Chapter 7; it is also mentioned 

 in Chapter 3. 



Legislative Authorization and Funding 



Several agencies, including the U.S. Geological 

 Survey and the National Bureau of Standards 

 (NBS). point out that funding for research has not 

 kept pace with the increased responsibilities de- 

 rived from their enabling legislation. The agencies 



affected accept the increased responsibilities but 

 say they do not have the means to fulfill them. All 

 the agencies teel they could be more productive if 

 more funds, more positions, and more facilities 

 were provided. 



Legislation having a major impact on NIH in 

 the last 8 years, beginning with the Family Plan- 

 ning Services and Population Research Act of 

 1970, has created institutes concerned with cate- 

 gorical diseases — requiring research on cancer, 

 heart, lung, and blood diseases, multiple sclerosis, 

 diabetes, arthritis, digestive diseases, and aging. 

 NIH staff point out that this greatly widened 

 mandate for new research initiatives will undoubt- 

 edly have an impact on research, but they also 

 express apprehension that adequate funds will not 

 accompany the new responsibilities. This has not 

 been the case in funding for the National Cancer In- 

 stitute but possibly will be so in funding some of the 

 other initiatives. Support for basic research in cate- 

 gorical institutes is influenced by many elements; 

 therefore, the long-term impact of such legislation 

 on basic research is difficult to predict. 



The National Aeronautics and Space Adminis- 

 tration (NASA) observes that environmental stat- 

 utes and pollution controls have little or no effect 

 on the basic research it supports — but do have a 

 significant impact on highly directed or applied 

 R&D projects. Probably this observation applies 

 to most legislation listed above. Applied re- 

 search — by its nature and because it may involve 

 pilot projects, test or model programs, and other 

 actual applications — has a much greater potential 

 impact on the environment than does most basic 

 research. 



The Agency Role 



Agencies normally play an active role in devel- 

 oping legislative authorizations and statutes that 

 affect their missions; they often work closely with 

 Congress and the Office of Management and 

 Budget (0MB) in originating the acts. If the legis- 

 lation is proposed by the executive branch of 

 Government, the agencies may initiate and even 

 be entirely responsible for drafting the bills. If the 

 initiative is in Congress, the agencies will work 

 with legislative staffs and participate in hearings; 

 both activities provide opportunities for agency 

 initiatives and for amendments to be drafted. The 

 complex interplay between agencies and Congress 

 allows for adjustments to meet the agency re- 

 quirements. Congress is usually sympathetic to 

 agency needs once the needs are fully under- 

 stood. In recent decades the research-intensive 



280 AGENCY SUPPORT OF BASIC RESEARCH BY FIELD OF SCIENCE 



